Fantendo - Gaiden: New Dawn/Volume 1
Fantendo - Gaiden: New Dawn/Volume 1 'is, as the name indicates, the first volume of the ongoing ''Fantendo - Drive series Fantendo - Gaiden: New Dawn. Duh. Taking place after Fantendo Smash Bros. Victory, the series follows various groups and parts of F.A.N.T during the later half of the year 2018. Guest writers are welcome, although, like ALWAYS, no filler! Please be caught up with Fantendo - Gaiden ''and ''Fantendo - Gaiden: Legacy ''if you're interested in writing for the series. Cover Blurb "''While the famous Unten and friends battle goddesses and intergalactic threats, it's up to F.A.N.T to serve as the barrier between civilians and superpowered threats. But it's not an easy job, and their personal lives are often just as complicated." Issues 1: The Confession The Operatives are back in action with a brand new mission, Logia and Blank go to different people to solve the same problem. ---- The series begins with a shot of a building in the New York City skyline, sometime in the afternoon. Inside the fancy building, a man in a business suit is pacing back and forth, wine glass in hand. ::'''Businessman: They should be arriving soon enough... The businessman hears a knock on his door and opens his door, two bulky, well-dressed thugs standing there. The businessman ushers them in and closes the door behind them. ::Businessman: Come in, come in. Can I get you a- ::Thug #1: Let's not play around, Gristle. We're here for a business transaction, and the boss doesn't want a big show about it. ::Gristle: Yes, yes, of course. Excuse me, I was simply trying to be polite. The other, silent thug glares at Mr. Gristle, who looks unnerved, his hands shaking and a bit of wine spilling on the hardwood floor. ::Gristle: I'll go retrieve the briefcase, just err...make yourself comfortable. The two thugs sit on Gristle's white leather couch. They make notice of his stainless steel fridge, a magnet holding down a business card which reads "Grant Gristle - Engineering Services". ::Thug #1: This guy's such a loser, Tony. ::Tony: Hmmph. Suddenly, Gristle's door pops off the hinges and both of the gang members leap up, guns out. Gristle returns right at the moment with the mysterious briefcase. ::Gristle: Oh dear. ::Thug #1: What the hell is this?! Gristle and the second thug shrug at the same time when a blue blur flies in the room and around the three men, leaving them all clawed up and dizzy. ::Gristle: Oh god, I knew they'd be coming for me...I kn-knew it. Tony, agitated, points a gun at Gristle's head, and looks to his partner for permission. ::Thug #1: Ehh, I didn't like him anyways. Go ahead. Before Tony can kill Gristle, the blue blur flies out from behind the couch and snatches the gun before stopping and taking a break, breathing heavily. We see that this blur is Zane. ::Zane: Dreadfully sorry about all the scratch marks. I don't fancy myself a violent person. ::Thug #1: And I thought seeing a talking bear on TV was weird...today has been a day. ::Tony: Just shoot 'im, Johnny. Johnny points it toward Zane, who doesn't look too scared or bothered, just a little nervous. ::Johnny: Look, bird- ::Zane: I have a name you know! Sir Zane Avem, for your information. Johnny growls and prepares to shoot Zane down when Blank leaps into the room, foot first, and kicks Johnny in the face, knocking him out. ::Zane: Took you long enough. I was getting nervous! Blank rolls her eyes as the two notice that Gristle and Tony have run off in terror. ::Zane: A cowardly lot, it seems. ::Blank: Ehh, fuckers won't be able to hide for long. Zane and Blank then look around, waiting for their teammates. Zane is about to call for them, when Blank interrupts him. ::Blank: You guys can come out, now! Logia and Shy Dude walk into the room, Blank tapping her foot on the ground impatiently and Zane looking around nervously. ::Blank: Let's get this show on the run, Thing 1 and Thing 2. ::Logia: Fuck off. Blank grins and Logia smirks, Shy Dude and Zane running ahead to catch the other two criminals. The other two quickly follow behind, scoping out the house. ::Logia: Shy Dude, take the bathrooms, Zane, take the bedrooms, Blank, take the kitchen, and I'll deal with...umm... ::Blank: Looking under the couch? Shy Dude and Zane chuckle at their banter, the four of them searching for the two criminals, while Logia attempts to formulate a good response and checks the living room. ::Zane: I don't like this at all... Tony leaps out of the bathroom, hands out and prepared to take out Shy Dude. Unblinking, Shy Dude swings his hammer into Tony's stomach, sending him flying through the plasterboard walls and into the hallway outside the apartment. Tony rolls around, groaning. ::Blank: Well, there's one down. Shy Dude goes over to see if Tony is alright, while Zane enters the main bedroom, to find that seemingly nothing is amiss. Going over to the closet, he slowly opens it with his talons and is punched in the face with a large, robotic-looking fist. ::Zane: Oww! Well, that was very r- The robotic fist punches him down again, knocking him out and sending him onto the ground. Gristle comes out of the closet, covered completely by tiny metal pieces, next to the empty briefcase. ::Logia: Zane?! The three Operatives run into the bedroom to see Gristle, standing over the unconcious Zane and ready to fight. ::Gristle: G-get back! I'll kill him unless you let us leave! ::Shy Dude:....Us? Gristle points forward and the tiny metal pieces form into a spear and hurl themselves toward Shy Dude, who quickly steps out of the way. The tiny metal organisms crawl back to Gristle and reassemble themselves. ::Blank: Look, douchebag, you're not killing any of MY friends. Blank throws a punch toward Gristle's chin, but the metal pieces form into a spike around it and impale her fist. Bleeding, she's sent flying back in pain. ::Blank: Fuck! Gristle then runs out of the room, trying to make a quick, easy escape, and running over Tony and Johnny. Shy Dude charges toward Gristle while Logia runs over to his hurt teammates. ::Logia: You okay? ::Blank: Y-yeah. Blank gets up and shrugs it off, while Logia picks Zane up and throws him over his shoulder, the two walking to follow Shy Dude. ::Gristle: Let us go! Gristle blasts back the microbots several times in different forms toward Shy Dude, who quickly hops over them, dodges them, and smashes them down with his hammer. ::Gristle: Last warning! Shy Dude pursues Gristle to the elevator, where he uses the pieces to jam the door shut after hopping inside. The Operatives all gather together as they wait for the elevator to open. ::Logia: Those things are strong, we can't just keep doing this. We need a good strategy. ::Blank: Like beating the shit out of him? ::Logia: That's a last resort, Blank. Blank mumbles something while they all talk, Gristle running out of the lobby to his sports car and hurrying to start it up. ::Gristle: W-we lost them. Can I be...free now? The microbots all crawl off of him in an insect-like manner and form into a cube in the passenger's seat as they drive off quickly to make a getaway. ::Gristle: All I need to do is drive until I can...I can, collect my thoughts. Zane quickly flies in front of Gristle's car, divebombing the windows and cracking the glass on the car's front.' 'He slams on the breaks, and the microbots fly onto him, covering his body and protecting it as the car comes to a halt. ::Zane: Alright, everyone. Gristle, surrounded by the microbots, gets out of the car and prepares to attack Zane, when the microbots are suddenly tugged off of him all at once. '' ::'Gristle': What the- ''Looking around terrified, he sees the other Operatives behind him, Logia using his telekinesis to pull the microbots off. ::Gristle: Oh no. The microbots fly onto the ground, Logia holding them there while Blank and Shy Dude pummel them. Zane flies toward Gristle at high speeds and knocks him out. '' ::'Zane': I hope that doesn't bruise... ''They all sit down on the road, exhausted as traffic piles up behind them, annoyed New Yorkers cussing and honking at them. ::Logia: Someone call the clean-up guys. Blank gets her phone out as they all get up and walk away together. ---- The next page opens with The Base docking at the F.A.N.T HQ in the evening. The Operatives, exhausted, walk out to see Director Sinn waiting for them. ::Sinn: It was good to hear that the mission was a success. ::Zane: Well- ::Logia: More or less. Shy Dude, saying something to himself, waddles off into the building while the other three stand in front of Sinn, who looks tired himself. ::Blank: I'm kinda pissed you didn't tell us about what was in that dickbag's briefcase. ::Sinn: I wasn't exactly sure, Ms. Melini. The samples that weren't crushed our in our possesion now, I'll have the lab and Carter look over them. ::Zane: Just don't let them get gathered...ugh... Zane shudders and Sinn nods, all of them looking dazed and simply out of it. ::Sinn: Get some sleep so you can enjoy your off day. The rest of us aren't so lucky. Sinn sighs and walks off as various rookie agents begin to crowd around him and the Operatives all grin in reply. ::Zane: I'm going to go find Shy Dude, you two...have fun? Zane flies off in pursuit of Shy Dude while Blank and Logia shrug and head back into The Base, headed their separate ways silently and going to their bedrooms. ::Logia: Probably should've said good night but...but it'll be fine. Logia opens his door and sits on his bed. His bedroom has a bookshelf on it, full of academic books and literary classics, with a laptop on his bedside counter. '' ::'Logia': Another day I couldn't work up the courage to really talk to her. I'm such an idiot! I got the "love" part out, but what about like...everything else? She probably doesn't wanna do anything more but maybe, just maybe she would- ''Logia sighs and flops onto his bed, twiddling his thumbs. ::Logia: I'm talking to myself again. I just need to get some sleep, and I'll be fine. We then see Blank lay down on her bed, face first. Her bedroom has a mini-fridge, a small closet full of the same pair of clothes over and over, and a trash bin full of wrappers and bags and notes. ::Blank: Ugh. Why can't I get any fuckin' sleep, lately? She rolls over and puts her arms behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. ::Blank: If he said it, why can't I? I can beat the shit outta robot monsters, aliens, criminals....anything. But I can't beat the shit outta feelings. She bangs her head repeatedly into the mattress and a panel shows the two both laying on their beds, looking up. ---- We see Skett pummeling a punching bag inside the 410 squad plane as Logia walks into their training room. ::Logia: Umm... Skett slashes the bag in half, and the bottom half drops onto the ground. Skett, sweating and panting hard, turns over to Logia. ::Skett: What is it, Logia? Logia sits down on the bench, looking down at the cut-off half of the punching bag in awe. Skett paces back and forth, impatiently motioning for Logia to talk. ::Logia: Oh, sorry. I came because, I need advice. And you're good at giving it. ::Skett: No, I'm really not. Is Zabrent the one who tells you that just to annoy me? Logia shows a small smile but shakes his head. Skett sits down on the bench opposite of Logia. ::Logia: You were the first time I asked you. ::Skett: Well, if it's advice about beating stuff up, then yeah, I guess I could help. ::Logia: Not exactly. It's about feelings. Skett sighs and gets up, throwing the cut-off half of the punching bag over his shoulder and walking away. ::Skett: I do NOT do feelings. Ask Alena for that stuff...she's great at it. ::Logia: It's actually related to Alena...well, kind of, I mean. Skett hurls the punching bag half onto the ground and groans, sitting opposite of Logia once more. ::Sket'''t: Alright, fine, I'll try to help. Just don't expect much...I'm not a feelings person. Or a talking person, really. Mostly a punching person. ::'''Logia: It's about Olivia. Everyone here knows that- ::Skett: You're in love with her. Yeah. We get it. ::Logia: Basically. But I mean, I said I loved her and we've kissed twice but- ::Skett: Wait, twice?! Logia sighs and nods, Skett getting out his phone and texting someone, presumably Carter. ::Logia: Things just interrupt us ever from really...talking, y'know? I figured I would ask you for help considering how you were the one to tell Alena how you felt. No one really knows what you said to her so... ::Skett: What I said...it wasn't important. Logia looks confused as Skett clears his throat. ::Skett: It's how I felt that was important. I had never been in love before. I was too busy being...angry. At my father, at the world, at myself. When I saw what an amazing person Alena was inside, I realized that I wasn't...I wasn't angry when I looked at her face. Logia nods, invested in Skett's advice. ::Skett: I met a woman named Fera on a mission. She was brave, had the courage to fight a fight most people would run and hide from. But she kept going, because she had a goal. She knew what she had to do. And that inspired me to have that courage. So I went to Alena and just...said how I felt for a while. And she listened. ::Logia: Well, I mean, what did she say? ::Skett: All she said was yes. And that was enough to change my whole life around. It's the best thing I've ever done. Logia grins at the story and Skett scratches his neck. ::Skett: Don't run from love in the fear that she won't love you back. You'll always regret it until the day you die. If you really love Melini like that, you NEED to tell her. Now. Spill everything. Leave nothing out. Okay? ::Logia:...Okay. Logia smiles and gets up while Skett sits there silently. ::Logia: Hug? ::Skett: No. Get outta here, Logia. Logia runs off to find Blank, and when he's gone, Skett shows a small smile. ---- Blank walks into the engineering lab, past various tables and scientists until she reaches Carter, who is hard at work studying the microbots. ::Blank: Uh...hey, Carter. ::Carter: Oh, hi Olivia! These are amazing! From what our spies tell us, Mr. Gristle was a successful independent engineer who detected some form of alien life and went out to search for it... ::Blank: Yeah, and look how that turned out. Carter smiles at Blank and nods. ::Carter: Indeed. They were really microbots, made by some form of alien life that crashed here accidentally. Or on purpose, with alien invasions, I'm never sure. ::Blank: I hope we're done with those damn invasions for a while. ::Carter: Me too. These things connect to the brain of whoever their host is, and follow their commands...in the right hands, I'm sure they could be very constructive. Even useful for our agents. But they also seem to have their own thoughts on occasion...quite an interesting anomaly. ::Blank: Alright, just be careful, those things can hurt like a bitch. Carter nods and shuts the jar full of the microbots, looking toward Blank. ::Carter: I don't doubt it. Why did you come here, anyways? ::Blank: It's...uh...a personal thing. Do you have a moment? Sorry for fuckin' bothering you, but...I gotta deal with some shit. ::Carter: It's fine, follow me. Carter walks out of the lab, Blank nervously following. The other scientists and engineers look at her, annoyed. They stop right outside of the lab. ::Blank: Do you think I bothered them? ::Carter: Ehh, it's fine. Don't sweat it. Now what do you need? ::Blank: I need some advice, I guess. About Logia. Carter tries to suppress an obvious smile and Blank taps her foot anxiously. ::Carter: Glad you asked! What's the problem? ::Blank: I...ugh...he was able to tell me how he felt about me. He just...said it, I guess. And don't get me wrong, I feel the same way. ::Carter: Obviously. Blank glares at her and she covers her mouth quickly. ::Carter: Sorry, go ahead. ::Blank: But I can't get the fuckin' words out. I've never been in love, and god this is embarassing because you're like, 5 years younger than I am, but I don't know how to do it. I'm just not good at...that. At all. ::Carter: Don't be embarassed! I think it's sweet you want to tell him how YOU feel back. Trust me, I know it's hard to be with someone. It's hard to worry about what you say, and how you feel, and how you want them to feel. But it also makes life look so much brighter and happier and so, so amazing. Once you say those three words, your life is gonna get so much better and I can't wait to see it. You two are fantastic people. You deserve this. Blank sighs and nods. Carter then pulls her in and gives her a big hug, squeezing her tightly. Blank looks uncomfortable, but shows a small smile. ::Blank:...Yeah. Thanks, Carter. ::Carter: Good luck! Blank runs off to find Logia, when Carter picks up her phone and looks at a text message, which brings a big smile to her face. ---- Two panels show both Logia and Blank running to The Base and meeting in the middle of it. They both look embarassed and begin to talk. ::Logia: Hi. ::Blank: Hey. They both start to talk but interrupt each other and look sheepish. ::Blank: Fuck, go ahead, I'm sorry. ::Logia: No, you g- ::Blank: Just do it! Logia clears his throat and nods. ::Logia: Look, I know when we met we hated each other. We're very different people. And the only reason we worked together was because, well, we care about helping people. We always have. But then we became friends over the years, but we were always still arguing. I didn't ever get it. Until it just...clicked. And I know everyone else probably realized before I did, but all I know is that I'm in love with you. More than I ever have been with a person. If you don't f- ::Blank: I love you. Logia's eyes widen and he stutters, trying to reply. She shuts him up with a passionate kiss on the page's final panel. ---- The last page begins with a panel of Logia and Blank laying in bed together, the both of them looking happy. ::Logia: Well then. ::Blank: Yeah. Logia strokes his chin and Blank takes a deep breath. ::Logia: Are we a thing now? ::Blank: If you want us to be...I've never been in a relationship before. ::Logia: Ehh, it's easy. Blank rolls over toward him, eyebrows raised. ::Blank: Are you bullshitting me, Logia? ::Logia: Definitely. He grins and she punches him in the arm, smirking. '' ::'Logia': Hey! Well it's not easy but- ::'Blank': It's worth it? ::'Logia':...Yeah. ''They look into each others eyes silently, ending the issue. 2: 410 Guns As Carter and Skett plan to settle down and take a break from the F.A.N.T life while they adopt, Sinn is forced to gather the old 410 squad for one last mission. ---- The issue opens with a wide open desert surrounding an empty road. Wind blows around tumbleweeds while a panel shows roadblocks stopping anyone from driving down it. ::???: James! James! The next panel cuts to the burning wreckage of the 410 squad plane, Sinn unloading bullets onto a gigantic spider-like formation of the microbots from the previous issue, while Skett attempts to cut through one of it's long legs. ::???: Wake the hell up, James! Inside the wreckage, Carter is standing above Zabrent and shaking him. He slowly starts to get up, yawning while Carter looks uncharacteristically agitated. ::Carter: They need your help, James! Hurry up! ::Zabrent: Mmm...five more minutes, mom... Carter smacks Zabrent across the face and he leaps up, surprised. Zabrent rubs his cheek and looks hurt, while Carter simply points toward the nanobot spider. ::Zabrent: My best friends are a woman, her sceptile husband, and a middle-aged man, and THAT is the weirdest thing I've seen today. ::Carter: Aww, I'm your best friend? Wait, shit, I mean, go help them!! Zabrent nods and runs off to the help the other two fight the microbot spider. Carter takes a deep breath and walks over to a broken gun with it's parts scattered all around. ::Carter: This is going to be an...interesting work place. The page ends with a wide shot of the mechanical monster crawling toward them, Carter hard at work, and Sinn, Zabrent, and Skett attacking it as hard as they can. ---- Zabrent is walking down a F.A.N.T corridor alone, saying hello to various agents and flirting with a variety of women as he makes his way to the center of the HQ. ::Zabrent: Let's see how quickly I can get into his office today... The clock over Sinn's office shows the time to be 5:00 AM, but the HQ is still busy and bustling. Zabrent quickly sprints up the stairs to find a security guard and one of Sinn's assistants standing in front of the director's office. ::Zabrent: Hey, guys, not sure if you noticed, but, you're kinda blocking the door. So if you could move, that'd be great. The security guard glares at Zabrent, but Sinn's assistant shows a small smile, amused, and then adjusts her glasses ever so slightly. ::Security Guard: Agent Zabrent, the Director hasn't requested your presence, nor is there a reason for you to enter without his say so. ::Zabrent: Come on, man, you'd let anyone else in. You shouldn't let your personal feelings mix with business, right, Ms. Fisher? Zabrent then looks to Sinn's cute assistant and the guard groans as she blushes just a little. ::Fisher: Umm...well...I'm sure Director Sinn wouldn't mind Agent Zabrent coming in. The guard rolls his eyes and steps out of the way as Zabrent flashes Fisher a charming smile and enters the office. Sinn is hard at work filling out paperwork and files, and looks up at Zabrent, a neutral expression on his face. ::Zabrent: With your deadpan expressions, I can never tell if you're pleasantly surprised or wish you could shoot me right here. ::Sinn: No, I don't feel like shooting you. Today, at least. ::Zabrent: Phew! Zabrent jumps into the chair opposite of Sinn, who goes back to his paperwork quickly. The trash bin in the office is full of beer cans that are the brand Sinn and Rizzo drank together, presumably having been drunk by Zabrent and Sinn together. ::Zabrent: Sinn, do you ever get any sleep? I'm pretty sure I've never seen you sleep in the years I've known you. ::Sinn: I get- Sinn lets out a yawn and rubs his eyes before going back to filling out forms. Zabrent chuckles and Sinn growls at him. ::Sinn:-enough. ::Zabrent: Really? I couldn't tell. ::Sinn: Shouldn't you be busy annoying LESS busy people? ::Zabrent: Ehh. Blank and Logia aren't awake enough for me to reuse my Skett and Carter jokes on them effectively. ::Sinn:...Aren't all of those jokes just puns about Skett being reptilian? ::Zabrent: Sure, but I can just replace every line with the word lizard in it with the word bear. Duh. Sinn shows a small smile and rolls his eyes, putting a paper away into a file and moving it to the side. ::Zabrent: Speaking of Skett and Carter... ::Sinn: They're fine. You don't need to worry about them, Zabrent. They had their final mission, they got their stuff, they've found a nice, suburban house to raise their baby in. Okay? Zabrent stutters as Sinn gets up, stretching his legs and yawning again. ::Zabrent: I guess you're right. I just...it's gonna be weird not to have them around. Not be there to fight with them, and have them save my ass when I need it. It's gonna be weird being a solo agent. ::Sinn: I thought you said you wanted to be a lone wolf, like the...uh...what did you s- ::Zabrent: American James Bond. ::Sinn: Yeah. That. ::Zabrent: I did say that, but things have changed since I first joined F.A.N.T. ::Sinn: They have. Everything has changed, Zabrent. But they're going to be fine. Nothing crazy will happen. ::Zabrent: In our line of work, I find that hard to believe. Zabrent shrugs and walks out of Sinn's office. Sinn puts his hand on his chin. ::Sinn: God damn it, he's right. Zabrent pokes his head in the office once more. ::Zabrent: Of course I am. Zabrent then leaves again and Sinn shakes his head, laughing. ---- The next page opens with a shot of a nice, large, presumably fairly expensive house in an upper-class suburb, a F.A.N.T van parked in front of it. Skett and Carter exit, holding hands, and look up at the house. ::Skett: Alena, this is... ::Carter: Perfect? Amazing? Great for us? A wonderful place for a young couple and their baby? ::Skett:...Yeah. Carter grins toward him and runs into the house. Skett follows closely behind her and the two gaze in awe of it. Skett shows a small smile to Carter. ::Carter: So?! ::Skett: I'm...I'm bad with words but this is just...fantastic. ::Carter: I talked Eric into giving me a bigger budget for house hunting. It paid off. It's nothing too fancy, but it's spacious and beautiful, the walls painted a pleasing light blue and a large kitchen next to a decent-sized table for dining. ::Carter: We can even have people over! Eric, James, Olivia, Hugo, Zane, Sh- ::Skett: People over? Skett looks very overwhelemed and uncomfortable, causing Carter to walk over and kiss his cheek. ::Carter: Alright fine, we'll talk about that later. But I think it's going to be great for us! ::Skett: Yeah. I think everything is going to be...okay. Which is really, really refreshing. Carter sits down on the nice, black leather couch and looks to Skett, who's standing up against the wall. ::Carter: Did you see yourself here 5 years ago? ::Skett: Hell no. I didn't ever think my life would get this good. But now, a beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman loves me and we're going to raise a baby together. That's just... Carter begins to tear up and covers her face. Skett walks over and sits next to her, rubbing her back, a worried expression on his face. ::Skett: Did I...? ::Carter: Of course not, Jake! These are happy tears! ::Skett: I'm glad, Alena. I guess...I guess we should be happy that some nut attacked F.A.N.T. We would never have gotten here without him. ::Carter: Heh...yeah...you're right, sweetie. Now the other couples in the neighborhood will be envious of the weird family at the end of the street. Skett chuckles and Carter kisses him on the lips deeply. Suddenly, Carter's phone rings and she pulls away. ::Skett: I swear to god... ::Carter: It's Eric! We gotta go, babe! Carter gets up and runs off, grabbing Skett's hand. He grumbles but reluctantly follows her as they leave the house to report to Sinn. ---- Skett and Carter run inside the F.A.N.T HQ's lobby, where Zabrent and Sinn are sitting there, drinking coffee and waiting for them. ::Zabrent: The Babies "R" Us is across the street, guys. I think you're in the wrong building. ::Skett: Sir, I really hope we're here for a reason besides listening to Zabrent talk. ::Carter: It would be nice if there was. ::Sinn: Don't mind him. There are more important matters at work. Zabrent mutters something as Sinn points to the lobby's TV with the remote. He turns it on as a news program shows various clusters of the microbots crashing down into Death Valley. ::Skett: Those are the microbots that the Operatives took care of, right? ::Sinn: Correct, although they only encountered a small amount of them. This is... ::Zabrent: Way worse. Like, super bad. Carter paces back and forth while Skett sits next to Zabrent. ::Skett: All due respect, sir, but why the hell are we here? Couldn't you send in the Oper- ::Sinn: No. They're good, but they only fought a small cluster. Violence against these microbots is going to help... ::Zabrent: That's why we're here! ::Sinn: But Carter studied them closely and she's the only engineer I feel comfortable sending into the field against these. Carter grins and Skett sighs. Sinn looks to the two, a concerned expression on his face. ::Sinn: Trust me, I didn't want to bring either of you into this, but I know you're not going to let Carter go on this mission alone, and right now I need her help. ::Skett: I understand, sir. The three then look to Carter, who is clearly deep in thought about the mission. ::Carter: I got it! ::Zabrent: Well that was fast. ::Carter: These microbots aren't stronger than your average insect if they're separated, which is why they gather. The more there are, the harder to destroy they become, and the stronger they are. If we can split them up, we can destroy them. ::Zabrent: How do we split them up, then? ::Skett: Have some patience, Zabrent. ::Carter: Well... ::Sinn: Carter, I remember you were working on a gun that releases sound waves, could that split them up? ::Carter: Exactly! I just need to get up-close while you three distract the microbots, and they'll be as good as dead once the sound waves hit them. ::Sinn: Alright then. Get ready to go to Death Valley. The three get up, Sinn at the front of them. Skett shows a small smile, visibly proud of Carter, as they walk off toward their plane. ---- Opening with Sinn sitting alone quietly in the pilot's seat, the next few panels show Carter testing the gun, which is clearly rather heavy and intricate, and then Zabrent and Skett sitting together. Skett looks rather nervous, while Zabrent is as laid back as ever. ::Zabrent: Pre-mission jitters? ::Skett: The mission? No. We'll do our job and I know Alena will take care of the rest. Zabrent then shows a smug grin as he realizes what Skett is really nervous about. ::Zabrent: If it's any consolation, I think having a lizard for a dad would be pretty damn awesome. ::Skett: I'm not worried about what other people say or think, anymore. I just don't know if I'm suited for anything more than...this, y'know? Being an agent can be tough, but I know I can do this job. Being a normal person raising a baby, though, sounds ten times as hard. ::Zabrent: Skett, when I met you, I thought you were a rude hardass. And I wasn't super wrong. Skett shoots daggers at Zabrent, who motions for him to wait a second. ::Zabrent: But I've seen how you are with Carter. You might be hard to get along with, you might not always like me, and I know we have different viewpoints on a lot of stuff, but nothing is more certain to me than the fact that you're a great husband. And if you're even half as good at being a father, then that kid is going to be a badass. Skett begins to reply, but instead opts to not say anything at all, simply showing a small smile to Zabrent, who smiles back. '' ::'Zabrent': Me, on the other hand, I'd be a terri- ''Zabrent is interrupted by Skett pushing him away from the window as a cluster of microbots crash into the plane, sending it flying downwards at high speeds. '' ::'Skett': Oh, great. ''As the plane crashes, all we're shown is complete darkness, before resuming the panel on the first page with Skett, Sinn, and Zabrent fighting the microbot spider and Carter trying to repair the gun. ::Zabrent: Are your bullets doing anything to it?! ::Sinn: Is your electrokinesis affecting it?! ::Zabrent: Fair point! The microbot spider kicks one of it's legs, knocking Skett inside the plane, causing him to crash into the wall next to Carter's workbench. ::Carter: Oh hey, honey. ::Skett: Oww...hi... The spider launches a piece of metal at Carter, but Skett slashes through it with his claws. The two smile at each other. ::Carter: Thanks, babe. ::Skett: No problem. Sinn is frantically dashing around to dodge being crushed by the mech while still firing all the rounds he has to slow it down, Zabrent at his side blasting electricity at it. ::Zabrent: Field work too much for you, gramps? ::Sinn: Ah, fuck off, Zabrent. The microbot spider lifts it's leg to smash the plane, but Sinn fires a bullet at it's leg which Zabrent blasts electricity at, electrifying it. The bullet tears through the leg, causing it to break into various microbots and sending the spider backwards. ::Zabrent: Okay, we need to come up with a name for that shit. ::Sinn: Electrobullet? ::Zabrent: Ehh, it'll work. As Carter puts the finishing touches on the gun, Skett walks in front of her, slashing through the microbot projectiles the spider sends out to stop her. ::Carter: Are you going to miss this job? ::Skett: Getting hit by tiny robot bugs? No. But fighting together...I think so... ::Carter: Me too. Skett shows a small smile to her as she points the soundwave gun towards the center of the microbot, while the others attack it as hard as they can to distract it. ::Carter: Here goes nothing. Carter fires the gun, all of them reeling back in pain at the loud frequency. Although it knocks them all back, it succeeds in splitting up the microbot, the force of it causing them all to fly off and crash into the ground, destroyed. ::Zabrent: Jesus, couldn't you have used a frequency we couldn't hear? ::Carter: Next time you'll WISH you had my inventions. ::Zabrent: I don't doubt it. Sitting on the hard ground, they all just stay there and take a break for a moment after the battle. ::Sinn: Well, that's one more EXSR to add to the bill this year. ::Skett: Sorry about that, sir. Sinn chuckles and brushes some sand off his pants. ::Sinn: It's fine, Skett. Kind of symbolic, I guess. ::Zabrent: While I would like a plane to myself...yeah, Sinn's right. When you guys come back, we'll have a brand new one. With leather seats. ::Sinn: I cannot guarantee the part about leather seats, but he's right about the rest. ::Carter: We'll look forward to that, then! ::Skett: Yeah. Skett and Carter hold each other's hands tightly and smile at the other two as the next panel shows them all sitting there from a distance as the sun starts to set. ---- A F.A.N.T van is driving down the street in a city as we see the sun rise, indicating a brand new day. Inside the van, Sinn and Zabrent are sitting opposite of each other and eating doughnuts. ::Zabrent: You find out why aliens are blasting evil tiny robots at us? ::Sinn: Some of our reconassiance spies seem to guess, from the evidence they recovered, that they weren't trying to hurt as. Well, at least not directly. Seems like their microbots got out of control, so they decided to dump them on a seemingly insignificant water planet called Earth. ::Zabrent: Insignificant or not, us Earthlings can sure take some shit. ::Sinn: You're right, Zabrent, you're damn right. The van then stops in front of a building, Sinn and Zabrent looking out their windows. We don't see what they see yet. '' ::'Sinn': Cute baby. ::'Zabrent': Oh, you sap. ''We then see that the two are checking in on Skett and Carter in front of an adoption agency, Carter holding a tiny baby girl and the couple looking at her lovingly. ::Sinn: I think they'll be just fine. ::Zabrent: What about us? ::Sinn: Zabrent, in our line of work, I find it hard to believe. Zabrent chuckles as the van drives off, ending with a panel of Skett holding little Helen, Carter at his side. 3: Journey to New Beginnings We see an older and disbanded Special Ops team that is brought back by Sinn with the goal of eliminating a contact of Mr. D'Angelo. 4: High Above The Rest A day in the life of the 420 squad. 5: TBA Guest spot. 6: TBA Guest spot. 7: TBA Guest spot. 8: Like Mother, Like Daughter While Carter and Skett settle down, Carter has concerns about being a mother. 9: Blank Data Blank deals with her personal life while being forced to recruit a young vigilante who lives where she once did. 10: Nadir Director Sinn and his personal squad deal with the aftereffects of Fantendo Smash Bros. Zenith. Reception TBA Trivia TBA Category:Fantendo - Gaiden Category:F.A.N.T Category:Comic Books